


Over the Hills and Far Away

by Redtail53



Series: OHFA [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Other, Unrealistic Multiple Personalities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7039783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redtail53/pseuds/Redtail53
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While trying to defeat the Empire and reunite his family, Anakin finds what it actually means to be the Chosen One.</p><p>Originally posted on FF.net 1/12/2009</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I:1 - The Sickness

**PART I**

_"It seems what's left of my human side. Is slowly changing in me ... There is no turning back now. You've woken up the demon in me."_  
\- Down with the Sickness; Disturbed

* * *

Mustafar.

The fiery hot air burned his lungs but he didn't care. This Jedi had betrayed him. His wife had betrayed him. The Jedi had betrayed him. They feared him. They held him back. They kept him from reaching his full potential. But Palpatine. He had been nothing but a friend to him ever since he was a child.

But he had thought the same about Obi-wan, too. And Padme. But they turned on him. They fed him lies – Obi-wan: the lies of the Jedi, and Padme: lies of love.

"Anakin! Let. Her. Go."

Reluctantly, he did and the limp form of his wife fell to the ground. A part of him was screaming but that part was dieing – decaying. But that part of him asked one single question, 'What have I done?'

"You turned her against me!" Vader screamed, to drown out the other voice in his head.  
"You have done that yourself." The two one-time brothers began circling each other.  
"You will not take her from me!" Vader's anger was as fiery as the planet they stood on.  
"You anger and lust for power have already done that," Obi-wan removed his cloak, "you have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now... until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."  
"Don't lecture me, Obi-wan." Vader said as the Jedi Master knelt down to check Pamde's vitals as she lay unconscious on the landing pad. "I see through the lies of the Jedi." he turned around the view the Mustafar landscape, such as it was. "I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire."  
Obi-wan stood, the disbelief was clear on his face, " **Your** new Empire?"  
His voice was cold and calculating, not the voice of the boy he trained, "Don't make me kill you."  
"Anakin," his disappointment was clear, "my allegiance is to the Republic... to democracy!"  
"If you are not with me, then you're my enemy."  
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." He unclasped his lightsaber, "I will do what I must." Obi-wan's lightsaber hummed, the familiar vibration would normally feel comforting - but not now.  
"You will try." Vader reached for his own saber and with a mighty cry of pure rage jumped and flipped in the air and landed to meat Obi-wan. Their sabers clashing, blue against blue in an explosion of white. A part of Obi-wan wished that this was simply a practice session, a friendly duel – but he knew: Vader was out for blood. His blood, and it was Obi-wan's task to stop him. But at what cost? The only way to stop him would be to kill him, but a part of him held to the belief that there was still some part of Anakin Skywalker left – that the boy he trained was still alive and well. But as the fight went on, and as they moved through the mining facility, Obi-wan began to loose hope.

Obi-wan dropped down onto piping below them and Vader followed shortly, the metal groaning in protest and bending under their weight. Obi-wan looked into the young Sith's eyes, no longer the radiant blue they used to be – now they were an angry mix of red and yellow. Obi-wan thought that he could still see a speck of blue – but it was gone. The two combatants picked their way across the beam, barely a quarter of a meter in width. Obi-wan glanced down at the young sith's footing, good so far – then he looked down at the lava below them, then back into Vader's eyes. Obi-wan frowned, something wasn't right. Was he tiring from this battle already? Sure the temperature of the planet overall was stifling, but Anakin had been through much worse and won many battles. He looked again, the boy's eyes were unfocused – Obi-wan frowned again, perhaps this was not the only battle Lord Vader was facing this night. Perhaps Anakin was fighting back as well. Obi-wan could only hope as he backed away as Vader came closer.

Vader swung his blade and Obi-wan parried it easily, and furrowed his brows as Vader began to loose his balance but regained it. He was breathing heavier now – he was tiring, quickly. Obi-wan's mind reached out to Anakin, cracking the bond they shared as master and padawan open again.

"...help..."

Anakin's voice was unmistakable, but broken and weak. He was losing, but so was Vader. Obi-wan frowned. So this was how it was to be. This is how he would be forced to live out the rest of his life – two beings, one the good man and friend and the other: a Sith Lord with nothing but hatred and vengeance and power on his mind, both having the misfortune of sharing the same body. Anakin had asked for help, and he was more than willing to oblige him.

Obi-wan watched Vader carefully as he advanced and Obi-wan took careful backsteps, "Anakin-"  
Vader growled and stepped forward.  
Obi-wan ignored the growl, stepped back and continued, "...listen to me, Anakin. You **are** stronger than him. If you can't win believing that, then think of Padme and your child." He paused and Vader growled again.  
Obi-wan smirked, no addressing Vader, "You will not win."  
Vader made a face something akin to a grimace and a smirk and a frown all in one, "I already have, my Master." And with yet another mighty cry he stepped forward to make and over headed strike at Obi-wan. The Jedi raised his blade to parry it, but Vader's footing failed – either from being blinded by his anger or Anakin's work at him – and he began to plummet to the lava below.

Obi-wan's left hand shot out and grabbed Vader's left forearm – not willing to give up on the young man just yet – Anakin was still in there. Obi-wan grunted as Anakin's full weight hung on his shoulder, made all the more difficult to hang on was the fact that Vader's halted downward momentum had turned into a swing. Obi-wan called on Force in order to not let go and began to move toward the ledge on the other side from where they had started. It wasn't far, only a meter or so. He could do it, and then he could pull Anakin- or Vader or whomever he was, up and out of danger.

He hoped that Vader was too busy reflecting on the fact that Obi-wan had just saved his life, and not still too intent on killing him right now. Obi-wan winced as the grip on his forearm tightened, and he wasn't sure if the young man was simply not wanting to be dropped or if it was something else... With a final grunt, he moved onto the platform and fell to his side, pulling the boy up with him. Vader grunted has he pulled himself up, but it was hard while he was fighting for control of his own body. He head felt like it was ready to explode with the same amount of force that it had taken to turn this moon into a hunk of broken, molten rock. His eyes were tight shut and once he felt himself on the ledge, he released the Jedi's arm and struggled to stand and move to ignite his saber again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was amazed that he had managed to hold onto it, but the thought was short lived.

When Obi-wan had grabbed his arm, it had given Anakin strength he needed to fight again. Vader grunted as he dropped the hilt and grabbed his head instead – the pain literally bringing him to his knees and causing him to let out a muffled cry of pain. Obi-wan watched, still knelt on the ground where he had pulled Anakin's body up. Not sure of what was happening, but not willing to get too close – even if his saber had been discarded on the durasteel plating.

It seemed like hours, but he was sure it had only been minutes that he had been watching his old padawan writhe in pain. Obi-wan couldn't feel his pain, and a part of him was glad – the other part was worried. He had never seen Anakin like this – in this much pain. Each cry cut at his heart, like a lightsaber to his chest. He winced each time a pained cry escaped the boy's lips. He knew it was Vader who was crying out – that Anakin fighting back. But it brought little comfort. He knew that Anakin would be in pain as well. His cries got louder and came sooner and sooner and then it stopped. Obi-wan could only hear his own heart hammering in his chest. He stood up and walked slowly to his brother, who was now laying on his side curled up in a ball, his head tucked under his arms and his knees almost touching his chest.

Obi-wan could sense a change in him, and knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder softly, "Anakin...?" The body shifted slightly, and his head came out from under his arms halfway – enough for Obi-wan to see his radiant sapphire eyes once more. Obi-wan could not help the small smile at seeing his eyes, and he sighed in relief.  
"...don't get excited yet..." Anakin's voice was raspy from the screaming and exhaustion, "'M not sure how long I can hold 'em off..." Obi-wan nodded, "Then we'd best hurry..." he said as he stood and hauled Anakin to his feet and they slowly made their way to the landing platform...

ooooooooooooooooooo

Stars passed quickly by as the ship traveled through hyperspace, away from the lava planet and toward Polis Mesa where Master Yoda would be waiting. No doubt he had finished on Courscant by now and Obi-wan was left with the bad feeling that he had failed in destroying the newly self-appointed Emperor. Obi-wan sighed and hung his head, not once sparing a glance at the protocol droid at the helm. Looking at it would bring back to mind the young man somewhere on the ship, no doubt tearing himself to bits – but it was oddly quiet. Obi-wan was used to hearing some type of friendly banter from his younger brother, he was also used to Anakin jumping into the pilot's seat, ready to take off – but he never came close. Obi-wan had gone ahead to make sure that C-3P0 was already at the controls after checking on Padme – something the Anakin, he now noticed, had failed to do. He had missed the pain and fear in his brother's eyes as he held himself back from his sleeping wife. The Jedi Master rubbed his bearded chin as blue eyes stared out ahead of the ship. The urge to go back and check on Anakin was too strong to ignore, so he stood and began searching out his brother.

How could this happen...  
How did he miss the signs...

It didn't matter anymore. Anakin sat on the floor of the ship, his back against a far wall in a secluded part of the ship. His face buried between his knees and his arms so that only the hair on his head could be seen. He took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself. He had paused when him and Obi-wan had reached the spot where Padme had once lain back on Mustafar. He felt himself shutter as he tried to block out the memory of what Vader had done to her. His old Master half carried him to the top of the ramp, and then Anakin had waved him off – saying that he could take care of himself. He knew Obi-wan hadn't been convinced, but left for the cockpit regardless.

Anakin had avoided Padme since and secluded himself in one of the deepest parts of the ship. He wanted to see her, but his fear held him back. He had already hurt her once, he was afraid that he would loose control again – and cause her worse harm than before. He buried his head deeper as the memory assaulted him again. He choked on a broken sob, as the realization came to him of what he had almost done...

...and what he had done. The terrible crime that he had committed.

The Jedi - the younglings, the Knights, the Masters... he had killed them all. He had blood stained on his hands and nothing would ever wash it off. So lost was he in his own mind, his own pit of despair that he never heard Obi-wan's soft footfalls on the durasteel plating as the older Jedi sensed the younger's state of mind and came to his side. The dam around Anakin's emotions burst as soon as Obi-wan gripped his shoulder, and his heart shattered into a million pieces for the lives he had taken. Obi-wan pulled Anakin into a strong embrace and Anakin shook, unable to control his emotions. Obi-wan had never been one to show emotion like this, he was a Jedi, and the Jedi had no attachments... except Anakin. And perhaps himself, too. Obi-wan loved Anakin as any one would love a younger brother. And right now, Anakin needed him. Even though Obi-wan wasn't thrilled by the fact that his outer tunic was now tear-stained – and Force forbid... snot-stained. Obi-wan allowed a small bit of amusement at that, but it didn't last long.

The room was silent except for the occasional sound of Anakin choking back a sob. Anakin slowly pulled away from Obi-wan and rubbed his face with his hands, and sighed heavily. Obi-wan kept a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Feel better?"  
Anakin chuckled halfheartedly, it forced and painful, "No." Both remained silent for a long time. Seeing Anakin likes this, this broken and beaten, "What have I done..." Anakin's voice was low and raspy.  
"Anakin," Obi-wan gripped the other man's shoulder to grab his attention, "Anakin, look at me." Anakin sighed and slowly looked up at Obi-wan. "You need to stand up, and let it go. The Jedi need you. The galaxy needs you." he looked Anakin in the eyes, "Padme needs you." Anakin scoffed, "I killed the Jedi, I helped create the Empire and..." His voice hitched in his throat and his jaw clentched, "I-I could have killed Padme."  
He stopped, his breathing increased and he began to shake, "I killed them..." he pushed himself further into the wall behind him, willing himself to melt into the durasteel. Obi-wan moved to kneel in front of him and gripped both his shoulders roughly. "Anakin! Get a hold on your emotions! I'm not about to let you wallow in self pity. This is not the Anakin Skywalker I know."

Anakin shook his head, "You were right... Sidious has been manipulating me from the beginning. I don't even know who I am." He looked Obi-wan in the eyes, the fear and confusion burning in his Sapphire eyes, "How can you be so sure of who I am?"

For a moment, Obi-wan was at lost for words. And Anakin buried his face in his hands again. Then Obi-wan remembered, "I know the nine year old boy that Qui-gon found on Tatooine. The boy who risked his life in a pod race to get us off planet. The boy that helped deactivate the droid army on Naboo – ending the Separatist Blockade."  
"I was a child."  
"Yes. You were. But, I know you Anakin. You are not the type of person to just give up."

He was right, he knew. But Anakin had never done anything like this before... or had he? His mind flashed back to the Tusken camp – how he had slaughtered them all. But he had moved on, even if the act had been eating him up inside. He took a deep calming breath and pulled himself to his feet. He still felt sick when he thought about what he had done, but he choked the rising bile down and looked at Obi-wan who had also risen to his feet. The elder Jedi put a hand on Anakin's shoulder, "Are you okay?"  
He shook his head, "No. I...I won't be. Not for a long time."  
Obi-wan nodded, then looked up as a light blinked, indicating they were about to drop out of hyperspace. Anakin spoke, "Go. I- I want to check on Padme..."  
He nodded again and reluctantly headed towards the cockpit.

ooooooooooooooooooo

He felt the ship touch down on the platform. He had no idea where they were, he had never asked Obi-wan. He didn't really care either. He ran a gentle finger down the right side of Padme's face, and he sighed. His eyes traveled down to her neck, there were no marks – but he knew that not so long ago she had struggled for air. His jaw clenched, angry at himself for letting himself be so blind to Palpatine's tricks.

Anakin froze, he could sense Master Yoda here. He felt his stomach knot and sharp shiver race up his spine, he couldn't face him. Not after the terrible acts he'd committed. He felt Obi-wan come up behind him and he looked over his shoulder at him, "Where are we?"  
"Pollis Mesa." Anakin nodded and looked back to Padme, as Obi-wan spoke again, "How is she?"  
"Still hasn't woken up."  
Obi-wan nodded, "Yoda's waiting for us."  
"He knows I'm here." It wasn't a question, Anakin already knew the answer. "I can't face him."  
Obi-wan nodded and Anakin stood and moved to the side, "Take her, I'll stay here."  
"You can't hide in here forever, Anakin."  
"I know."

Obi-wan picked Padme up and turned to Anakin once more, who nodded and waved him off. As Obi-wan left, Anakin sat on the bio-bed his wife had occupied just moments before. He touched the sheets with his left hand – they were still warm. He gripped the sheets in his hand and then released the crumpled sheets, left and headed towards the cockpit.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Jedi Master Yoda watched as Obi-wan carried and unconscious Padme down the ramp. His ears drooped at the sight of her. It pained him to see her like this, and Yoda had the feeling he knew the cause... who was not present, "Where is Skywalker?"  
"Still in the ship," he shifted his weight, "We need to get her to the healers."  
Bail Organa stepped forward and motioned towards the base entrance, "This way." Obi-wan ran ahead of Bail and the two jogged towards the medical facility, leaving Yoda alone with the ship... and Skywalker. The three-foot Master tapped his gimer stick on the ground once and then started slowly towards the ship's ramp.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Anakin sat in the pilot's chair staring out at the stars, trying his best to think about anything- anything but the past day or so. He thought about when he was child, but that just brought back more bad memories. He tried thinking about his time as a padawan, but that too failed. He sighed sharply. This was fruitless. Everything he thought about only reminded him of either the state that Padme was in, or the unnerving fact that Palpatine had manipulated events in his life leading to him becoming the old man's new apprentice.

He pounded the console in frustration – fortunately for the innocent controls, it wasn't his right hand. Sighing, be brought his hand up to look at it, it would bruise tomorrow, not that it mattered – and he let his hand fall in his lap.

As he sat there, he decided to think about nothing. Maybe that was safer. He succeeded too, for a while anyway. It was the sound of soft clicks and the odd tap of a cane on the floor that caught his attention, and he inclined his ear toward the sound.

Yoda.

Anakin visibly sunk in his chair, like if he got low enough the Grand Master would fail to see him and he would move on. His heart pounded in his chest, his anxiety nearly over whelming. He tried to steady his nerves with a deep breath, which helped slightly. He shouldn't be feeling like this to begin with. He felt like a child confronted by his disappointed father.

"Disappointed I am." Anakin's jaw clenched, and he found himself unable to defend himself. He swallowed hard and whispered, "I know." Yoda didn't feel that he fully understood his disappointment, but he did understand the ramifications of his actions. "Defend yourself, do yo?"  
The young man breathed, "No. I-" his voice cracked and he swallowed,"I know... what I've done."  
"Regret it, you do."  
"Yes, Master," he froze, had that been automatic? Should he even consider Yoda his Master? He didn't know anymore. Wasn't sure of anything.  
Yoda was silent for a long while, and after a few moment – Anakin began to feel uneasy. Was he suppose to say something? A confession? If so, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to say anything aside from the robotic one word answers.

Guilt was a strong emotion right now. As well as disappointment in himself. He was better than this – he knew he should have been. He lowered his head but not completely in shame, he could feel a headache coming on, like something pounding on the walls of his mind. What was happening to him, what _had_ happened to him? He couldn't live like this, constantly fighting his own darkness – but he wasn't being left with any choice... was he?

Yoda seemed to sense his discomfort, and tapped his cane on the floor to grab Skywalker's attention. His head snapped up at the sound, momentarily startled by the unexpected sound. The man relaxed but he still couldn't look Yoda in the eyes. His shame was still too great. But he still needed answers. Anakin breathed deeply to steady his nerves and he finally turned in his chair to face the tiny Jedi, "Master... what's happening to me?"  
Yoda looked back for a moment, thinking on the young man's question, "Hmm." it occurred to Yoda, that he didn't know – but he knew how they could find out. "Know, I do not." he lowered his ears in some form of sympathy, then raised them again, "But find the answers we shall."  
Anakin felt a trickle of hope, but he was still cautious, "How?"  
The half-meter Master simply turned and began to hobble away. But when Anakin didn't move, he stopped to look back at the human, "Come." he said shortly, then began making his way off the ship.

Anakin sat there for a moment longer, wanting nothing more than to remain here on the ship. But Obi-wan was right. He couldn't hide here forever...

And he was no coward.

_TBC_


	2. I:2 - Broken

_"Screaming on the inside, I am frail and withered. Cover up the wounds, that I can't hide. Walls that lie between us. The saint within the sinner, I have lost the nerve, but it's all right. Carry the wounded and shut your eyes, all will be forgiven... Stay with me, you're all I have left. I know we can make it out alive."_  
\- Into The Morning – Breaking Benjamin

* * *

Anakin held his wife's hand to his lips as he sat at her side. It had been several hours, and she still hadn't woken. He could still sense her but... it was so weak. That was the opposite of everything his Padme was. She was strong and so very much alive. Seeing her like this... it hurt. It hurt more because he knew **he** was the cause.

He was worried, there was no denying it, no hiding it. No reason to, not anymore. He closed his eyes and sighed, long and heavy.

Obi-wan watched from behind the glass. It was clear how much Anakin loved her. Though, he supposed it had always been clear – even when he thought his affection for her was a simple crush that would vanish in time.

How wrong he was.

Kenobi glanced at Yoda on his right, then back to Anakin and Padme. Movement in the corner of his eye caused him to look back at Yoda, who was climbing off the stool where he had perched himself. The small Master faced Obi-wan, "With me, walk," he said before turned and beginning a slow trek deeper into the facility.  
Obi-wan nodded and matched Yoda's slow pace.  
"Troubled, you are."  
"I'm worried about Anakin," he glanced down at Yoda, "He won't heal from this quickly... perhaps never."  
A grunt was Yoda's only sign of agreement.  
Another question formed in Obi-wan's mind, "Master," he hesitated,"what happened to him? What I witnessed on Mustafar... I've never heard of anything like that."  
"Rare it is," Yoda kept his gaze ahead as he walked, "when another persona develops."  
Obi-wan stopped, "Persona?"  
Yoda turned to look up at the human, "Anakin and Vader. Two separate beings, they are. Embraces the light, Anakin does. While embraces the dark, Vader does."  
Obi-wan looked thoughtful, "Anakin had to fight Vader for control."  
"Fighting even now, they are. Sense it I can." Obi-wan had to agree. Anakin's Force signature was still tainted. It would only be a matter of time before Anakin's will gave out – a man can only fight for so long. Obi-wan knelt down, "Can he be helped?"  
The short Master thought for a moment, "Possible it is…"

ooooooooooooooooooo

The monitoring equipment beeped steadily, the only sound in the small room. The viewing window had been covered to allow for some measure of privacy. The room was dark, save for the medical equipment neatly littering the room. Two figures were the only occupants. One figure lay deathly still in the bed, clad in white and bulging belly. Dark, thick locks of hair streamed from her head, and her face held an eerie sort of peace.

The other was oblivious to this, however, since he had long since given in to his own exhaustion. His head rested on folded arms on the side of the bed, his right hand gently clinging to hers. In contrast, his face was an emotional explosion as he fought his inner demons, tiring him even in his sleep. His breaths were uneven and sweat was collecting on his brow.

" _Ani...,"_ she cried out, willing the cruel and faceless apparitions away. He didn't want to hear her voice unless it was real. But, no. She was still unconscious because of him.  
" _Ani...,"_ the universe to be too kind if she woke.  
" _Ani...,"_ after all he's done.  
The voice repeated, getting clearer each time. Then a small tremor in the Force and Anakin cracked an eye open, only to be greeted by a dark room and a rapid heartbeat – he never used to be afraid of the dark, he mused bitterly. Gingerly, he lifted his head and turned to look at the face of his wife. Pain flashed across his features, and he lifted his left hand to brush some hair out of her face.

He paused when she took a breath, and shifted under his touch, but she didn't open her eyes. Hope filled his heart and the corner of his mouth twitched upward, "Padme?" he asked softly. He brushed her cheek with his thumb almost tempted to use the use the Force to will her back to the land of the living. She shifted again and her eyes blinked open slowly. He smiled, "Hey," he breathed.  
"Ani...?"  
Relief spread through his body, and he smiled, "It's me." At this, she sat up as fast as her pregnant belly and tired body would allow and embraced her husband. He hugged her tightly, afraid to let her go – and hoping that, though it was fruitless, she would not remember what had happened.

Padme pulled back and rested one hand on the back of his neck, his hair tangling in her fingers. She noticed the poorly hidden guilt on his face, "Ani-"  
His face contorted in anguish as he tried to hold the tears back, "Don't... please..." he begged quietly.  
Padme pulled him close again. She remembered what he had done, even if she wasn't quite sure what to believe. She knew this though: the man who attacked her on Mustafar, had not been her husband. The man she clung to now, this was him.

She could feel it.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Obi-wan and Yoda locked eyes as they both sensed Skywalker's relief.  
"If we are to help him," Kenobi started, "We must do so quickly. If he hurts her again, it will destroy him."  
Yoda hummed in agreement, "For now, allow him time with his wife, we shall." Obi-wan nodded and stood again as Yoda slowly made his way further into the compound. He knew that if anyone could help him accept what's happened, it would be her. Obi-wan looked in the general direction of the couple.  
It was risky waiting.

ooooooooooooooooooo

An odd sensation erupted around her belly and she tensed. Anakin pulled back from her embrace to look at her, "Padme?"  
She didn't answer right away and worry began to settle in the pit of his stomach. Finally she looked up at him, "The baby's coming."

_Many hours later..._

Anakin smiled down at his wife, feeling truly happy for the first time since Order 66. The med droid had informed them that she was carrying twins, much to their pleasant surprise. The delivery droid spoke softly, and Padme cried out again. He winced. No one should have to go through this much pain, and he'd finally given up asking if she wanted something for the pain – she'd refused each time, much to his dismay. His head snapped up as a piercing cry cut through the air, but it hadn't been Padme. The droid announced the baby's gender and passed the squirming infant to his father, and Anakin only hesitated for a second before securing his son in his arms. "Luke," Padme said tiredly. Anakin glanced at at his wife and smiled, she'd picked the name – she was so sure it was a boy. She smiled up at him, then her joy was interrupted by more pain as the second child decided to follow. A second droid came up beside Anakin, explaining shortly that he needed to check the child was healthy. He wasn't ready to part with his son just yet, but he complied and gently passed the newborn to the med droid.

Just as he turned back to his wife, another cry and Luke's sister was born. "Leia," he said softly for Padme. They'd agreed on those two names, and it was a good thing they'd chosen two. The droids checked both newborns and deemed them healthy. Leia, wrapped in a thick soft pink blanket, was soon pressed into Anakin's arms and he looked down at his daughter, then to his tired wife and small smile ghosting on his lips.

Soon, the med droids left them alone and Anakin let his wife rest. The room was at half illumination and everything was still and calm. The fallen Jedi held her close as she slept, silently watching over her and the twins, who laid resting in their shared crib near the bed. The minutes ticked by and just as Anakin found his thoughts taking a dark turn - a small sound grabbed all of his attention and all thought ceased. He silently moved off the bed and walked around to the crib. Leia's big brown eyes were wide open and looking up at him. Anakin leaned gently on the crib, and Leia simply watched him while her brother slept soundly. She cooed quietly and Anakin felt the ice in his heart melt further and the noise that Vader was making all but ceased.

This was what happiness was, he was sure of it. But deep inside, he feared for her and her brother. For Padme as well. He couldn't trust himself, not with Vader lurking in the shadows. And Force… Palpatine. He would be looking for his wayward apprentice, and Anakin knew he would never be free till he was dead.

Anakin wondered sadly: what did that mean for his small family?

The opening door cast soft light into the room and Anakin could hear the footsteps behind him. The door closed and a familiar figure stopped next to him, gazing along with him into the crib. "They're beautiful," Obi-wan said softly so as not to wake Padme or the other sleeping twin.  
"Thank you," Anakin said softly, his voice rough from little use and lack of sleep. Neither man said anything for several moments, Anakin content to watch his children, and Obi-wan waiting for the right moment. Obi-wan realized the moment would never come, "I hate to take you from this…" Anakin looked at him from the corner of his eye, "but Master Yoda wants to speak with you."  
Anakin nodded silently and looked at Obi-wan, "Will you… will you watch over them?" Obi-wan nodded and smiled softly as Anakin left the room silently, but reluctantly. For all his fear, he didn't want to leave them.

Leia began to sniffle as her father left the room and Obi-wan took Anakin's spot by the crib. "Now, now," he said softly, soothing her with Force, "You mustn't cry, little one." She settled quickly and fell back asleep, and Obi-wan looked up at Padme. She was watching him tiredly a question in her eyes and on her lips, "Can Master Yoda help him?"  
Obi-wan breathed deeply, "I hope so," he said honestly.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Skywalker found the small Master a few rooms from Padme's room, and he's inwardly grateful that he isn't far from her and the twins. He palmed open the door to find Master Yoda perched on a stool placed at the end of a medical bed. Anakin entered the room and stopped as the door closed behind him. "Master," he greeted the ancient Jedi, who greeted him in return, "Anakin."

The young man stepped forward a single question burning in his heart, "Do you know what's wrong with me, Master?"  
" _He is not your Master,"_ a voice whispered, and Anakin became visibly uncomfortable.  
"Ignore him, you must."

He took a deep breath and focused on centering his mind on Master Yoda, but it was getting more and more difficult, harder to focus on anything. Vader screamed and taunted and whispered, anything to get his attention, anything to drain his mind, to make him weak. Weak enough to defeat.

He set his jaw and look at the Jedi Master, waiting for an answer. Yoda nodded soberly, and Anakin could see the seriousness in the Master's green eyes. "A rare condition you have. Split, you and Vader have become. A dual persona, you have."  
Anakin came closer to stand next to the bed, "What does that mean?"

"Vader, emotion, rage and pain, he is. The darkside he embodies." Anakin listened silently, "You, the light embrace."  
"Can he be killed?" he asked.

Yoda shook his head sadly, and Anakin's heart dropped. "To kill one, is to kill the other. Without you, live Vader can not. Without Vader, live you can not." Anakin felt as though his chest was being crushed and he found himself sitting on the bed as Yoda continued. "If continue as you are, meld, you and Vader will. After that, help you, I can not. Over power the light, the darkness will."

Anakin sat silently, trying to absorb everything. Yoda sat quietly, saddened that this had happened to young Skywalker, and the choices that were soon to come. ' _Difficult, things will be from now on.'_

"Can anything be done?" He asked finally. He looked at Master Yoda, and hoped that the wise Master Jedi had the answers. "Yes." Hope filled his heart, but fear raged in the back is mind. While Anakin was losing hope, Vader was swimming in joy that he would sooner or later, be able to take over and do what he wanted. Back to having power and prestige. He could have taken the twins and raised them as royalty, with Padme at his side as a queen once more. But now… fear spread like a wildfire and Anakin reacted without thought. A monitoring device flew across the room and shattered on the far wall. His heart thumped in his chest and he put his head in his hands, fighting the headache and the urge to throw more items against the wall.

"Vader that was. Afraid he is. Fight him, you must."  
"I'm almost out of fight…" Anakin said quietly, exhausted from the constant mental struggle.  
"Lock him away, I can. Bother you, he will not. Fight you, he will not." Fear tore at him again, and he cringed as Vader pushed against his control. Yoda watched as Anakin fought to keep his waning control. "Warned, you must be," Anakin looked at him, "temporary it is. Try again, he will." The young man nodded. Maybe another solution would present itself, in the meantime, this needed to end.

"What do you need me to do?"  
"Lie down, and relax you must." As Anakin did so, he very briefly felt nervous about letting the old master that deeply into his mind, and Anakin knew that he would need to go deep in order to root Vader out and trap him.  
It was a given.  
That nervousness only lasted until he realized he had no secrets left. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, to let Yoda do what he needed to.

It was not surprising to Yoda to find Anakin's mind a complete mess. Shattered and broken, nearly beyond repair. He had reached his breaking point, and that is what had caused the separation. Finding Vader was a simple matter, it was subduing him that proved to be difficult. Vader let out a rage filled roar, a last ditch effort fueled by desperation and fear. He would not be trapped within these walls. He refused.

Yoda's mental image raised his hand and Vader's image was tossed back like a rag doll. A wall appeared behind him, created by Yoda, and Vader slammed into it. The young Sith fell to the floor with a grunt and forced himself to his feet again. Yoda watched calmly, waiting for Vader's next move, "Pointless, resistance is, Vader."  
He lowered his head, yellow and red eyes glowering at the green Master, rage embedded on his face, and the glint of fear in his eyes. Vader charged again and ran full tilt toward the small Master. Once again, Yoda tossed him aside against the walls he created, three on all sides, two above and below. Vader's body slammed against the back wall and another wall began to materialize over the opening. Vader, though he knew he was defeated and weakened, stood and ran for the opening, hoping to make it through before it closed all the way. The Sith slammed his fists against the wall and roared in anger.

Outside the newly formed box, Master Yoda could not hear Vader's protests and solidified the prison. It would last several years... long enough for Anakin to come to terms with his recent actions and bolster the strength and gain knowledge to control Vader on his own.  
In the real world, the ancient Master withdrew from Anakin's mind and saw the young man in a near sleep state, finally free to do so without Vader trying to force himself to the forefront. He planted a suggestion to sleep into his mind, a suggestion that Anakin didn't resist.

Finding someone to help him learn to control would take time, but Master Yoda knew who he was looking for.

The trouble would be getting her to agree.

_TBC_


End file.
